


Our Colour

by AIMRWV



Series: Peccatum - Kinktober 2020 [4]
Category: SHINee
Genre: Biting, Body Worship, Fluff, Intimacy, Licking, M/M, Non-Penetrative Sex, Oral Fixation, Romance, Soul Bond, TaeKey, mermaid au, merman, merman au, outcast, yes both are mermen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-24
Updated: 2020-10-24
Packaged: 2021-03-09 07:35:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,186
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27180008
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AIMRWV/pseuds/AIMRWV
Summary: Kibum's world is shaken by the arrival of a black-tailed merman called Taemin.The story mainly touches upon the issue of being an outcast based on one's appearance and how just one person who stands by you can make a difference.Includes the following kinks: oral fixation/licking, biting - as well as body worship
Relationships: Kim Kibum | Key/Lee Taemin
Series: Peccatum - Kinktober 2020 [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1980490
Comments: 6
Kudos: 12
Collections: Kinktober Bingo 2020





	Our Colour

**Author's Note:**

> The story developed within the kinktober challenge when I was looking for a story line that fit the "liking/biting-kink". While I was writing it, it completely took off and before I realized it I had created a wonderful little story that I like too much to have buried in a kink collection (which is why it is uploaded as an separate story on AFF and therefore was in need of a poster - see below). This time though, I didn't quite do it alone. My dear friend who often does illustrations for my stories worked almost without breaks for the last 2 days to create a beautiful artwork that shaped the story immensely. Both pieces (the writing and the art) developed simultaneously, both taking inspiration from each other.
> 
> Since Ao3 doesn't really have a policy against posting "nude(?)" pictures I hope this one will be alright! I will link her post so you can just click on the picture and will be taken to her Twitter where I hope you can leave some nice messages!  
> She has worked her ass off for this and I couldn't thank her enough on my own!

[ ](https://www.asianfanfics.com/story/view/1463052/our-colour)

* * *

[ ](https://twitter.com/taemintbonbon/status/1320066847685869568?s=20)

Everything changed when a foreign, black tailed merman arrived at the northern Kingdom, stirring up the colony with his strange appearance. There was a lot of talk, rumours about the merman being spread like plastic in the sea. There were countless speculations where he came from, countless stories about the origin of the black tailed merman’s scars and his split fins. Most were afraid, avoiding the stranger when they crossed paths and the latter didn’t seem interested in interacting with the members of this colony anyway, gathering what he needed from the market, preparing to leave again soon.

Kibum was taking a break from speer training at the academy when he first heard the news. Usually not interested in gossip that floated around he wouldn’t listen at first, watching a group of fish play together while his comrades exchanged opinions and speculations following the arrival of the foreign merman.

“He’s black! Completely colourless.” One of them said and Kibum’s ears picked up on the last word, thinking they were talking about him. Just that, for once, they weren’t. “So black I couldn’t even see his scales! It was scary!”

Kibum listened up, more attentively now, getting to know about the new arrival in the colony with a beating heart. For the longest time had he been alone, the only one without colour. The only one who didn’t fit in. Could it really be that there was someone like him out there?

Instead of swimming home right after training, he swam towards the market where the stranger had been seen most often. Kibum never spent time in public, only when it was absolutely necessary. The market he might have seen three or four times in his whole life – he had never had a reason to visit before. Now he did.

Around him were countless mermen, their tails shimmering in all different colours of the rainbow, many of them halting in their routines when Kibum swam past them. Everyone knew about the white merman but not many encountered him in the wide open of the colony.

“Hi.” A soft voice addressed Kibum, making the latter turn around in surprise only to meet eyes with the soft face of an unfamiliar black-haired merman. It was as if he was frozen in time, unable to say a word as he floated right in front of the merman he had been looking for.

“I am sorry for approaching you out of nowhere, but do you know where I can find a craftsman who can create a necklace for me?” The stranger asked and Kibum finally collected himself, trying to think of the location of a craftsman he could tell him about, but his mind was empty.

“I think you have asked the wrong person. I am not out a whole lot. Sorry for not being of any help.” Embarrassment filled his chest and he was about to flee from the scene when the black-haired merman spoke up once more.

“Don’t leave yet.” He said, his expression almost sad. “I am Taemin.”

There was a short moment of silence before Kibum answered, only stating his name: “Kibum.”

“Nice to meet you Kibum.”

“Nice to meet you too.” Kibum replied softly, not quite comprehending the situation. He was so used to people avoiding him that an interaction like this felt foreign but not uncomfortable. He was glad that the stranger – Taemin – called him back.

Within the next days something that resembled friendship started to form, Taemin pulling Kibum along to his daily swims around the colony, finally finding a craftsman who was able to create the sort of necklace the black-haired merman had been looking for. People were staring, worse than they ever had before but strangely enough Kibum was able to ignore the countless mermen who followed them with their judgemental eyes, colourful tails slowing down to get a closer look. Next to this sea of colour, the unlikely pair of new acquaintances was like a beam of light in the deep sea – the centre of all attention.

Kibum was white as the ice above them, the scales on his tail almost sheer, blood that pulsed through his body for everyone to see. Next to him swam Taemin, tail and hair pitch black to the point where the separate scales and strands of hair couldn’t be distinguished. Only in some places, scars interrupted the darkness as constant reminders of the day humans invaded his home.

Their time was usually accompanied by simple conversations as they slowly opened up to each other. Taemin was the first to let the other in, telling Kibum about the real reason for his injuries. A reason that wasn’t as heroic as some of the stories that circulated the colony.

The reason was dark, Kibum unable to imagine what Taemin had experienced, making his own troubles seem insignificant.

They also spoke about Kibum’s training and life in the northern Kingdom. While explaining their ways, the white-haired merman did his best to hide how much of an outcast he really was, but it was quite obvious, no one even bothering to greet him as they swam through crowded spaces. Taemin did not point it out though. Rather he was focused on the general distance mermen kept in this colony. They were using the spacious areas well, none of them invading the close proximity of anyone else.

“I have never seen a folk so distant from each other. Why is that?” Taemin asked at one point, when he saw another group of mermen swimming wide apart from each other while laughing about a story that was told.

Kibum shrugged. “It’s painful to touch another merman.” He just said as if it was the most natural thing in the world. But not to Taemin. The black-haired merman’s brows drew together but he didn’t comment on it, unsure if it was what Kibum really believed or if he was making a joke. Instead he asked a question that he was sure would clear up the situation.

“So, you are not intimate with each other?” Taemin said, expecting Kibum to reassure him that they were, so he would be able to identify the previous statement as a joke.

“No? Why would we? The queen is the one who nurtures the young. We can’t have offsprings.” Kibum answered as quietly as possible. It wasn’t something his folk talked about. Ever.

“For pleasure?” the black-haired mermen said as if he couldn’t understand the older’s question.

“Shhht! Not so loud.”

“What now? I can’t even talk about it?”

Instead of replying to Taemin’s question, Kibum told him to follow as he sped up, swimming straight towards the end of the colony. A few miles further north, there was a small cave he had used to hide away from the constant stares when he was still young. Now that he was older, it was a place to escape from his daily struggles in the training institute where he was about to become one of the Queen’s palace guards.

He went there to be alone, he went there to be with the fishes, to move with the stream, to feel free.

Taemin was the very first being that Kibum took to his little cave. Unable to explain why he brought a merman he had met only a week ago to his most sacred place, he floated in the greenish water, waiting for the black-tailed merman to enter.

“You have a lot of explaining to do.” Taemin said, raising an eyebrow when he finally swam through the small opening, his eyes taking in the beauty of the cave that was lit up by a beam of light shining through a hole above them.

“Where are we?” he asked, unable to stop exploring the place he had been led into. “Why did you bring me here? You don’t even really know me. I could be someone dangerous.”

The white-haired merman closely watched Taemin’s face while he floated in the water, white tail moving gently with the water to keep him in place.

“I trust you.” Kibum said firmly before continuing a little less certain. “And… We just don’t talk about it.”

“‘It’ being intimacy; I am guessing?” Taemin asked his expression changing from a soft to a sceptical one as he moved over to sit on a rock where his pitch-black tail was placed on the soft sand.

“Yes…We don’t do it either…”

“You have never touched another merman?!” the shock on the younger’s face was apparent.

“No. Why would I?” Kibum shrugged and followed Taemin’s example, slowly letting himself down to sit on the rock across from the other.

“Because it feels good.” The younger shrugged his shoulders as if it was the most natural thing to do.

“Mhh” The white-haired said in affirmative but without showing any interest in what the other merman said. He had no desire to touch anyone else. Why would that feel good?

“Kibum.” Taemin tried to get his attention once more, but this time, he sounded more serious. “Why did you bring me here?”

“Because others could have heard you talking sinful things. You have only been here for a week. Your whole folk has been slaughtered before your eyes; don’t you think you shouldn’t stand out for the time being? At least not more than you already do.” Kibum said eying the other merman’s black tail

“I don’t think we have to speak about standing out. Look at yourself.”

“That has nothing to do with it.”

“And you aren’t telling the truth.” Taemin said softly with a knowing smile as he rose from the rock to swim over, approaching with one single flap of his fin.

“About what?” Kibum mumbled, pressing his back against the stone wall behind him to escape from the rapidly approaching black-haired merman.

“About why you brought me here.” The younger made a short break, staring into Kibum’s eyes – the latter barely able to keep eye contact. “You are interested.”

Kibum was getting ready to ask back when Taemin intervened: “And don’t tell me you are not. I see it in your eyes.” There was another short break, tension building between them. “You hate it here. You want to know what’s out there. How else would you know about THIS place even? I can show you the oceans Kibum. I spent two years traveling them.”

“I don’t hate it here.” The white merman said but nothing he could ever say would change the truth: that Taemin was right. He despised this place. His whole life it has never felt like home.

Being stared at for not being of any colour – being plain white, no colourful accents whatsoever.

Being one of a thousand, not living as an individual but as one of many.

Following every order that came from the elders without being able to question it or even act on his own accord.

He hated it. With every cell of his body but he had never been courageous enough to admit it to himself. Hearing Taemin say it out loud felt as if weight was lifted off his shoulders, as if he could finally breathe again.

“I approached you for a reason Kibum.” Taemin said softly and Kibum thought back to their first encounter. He remembered the instant feeling of familiarity when he had turned around, setting eyes on Taemin’s pitch-black tail for the first time.

“I might have experienced similar things where I grew up. The stares, the superstition. But I can assure you there are places for the likes of us.” Taemin took another break, turning around in the to enjoy the feeling of the stream in his fins.

“Do you want to hear about them?”

Kibum didn’t think twice and just nodded - ever so slightly. It felt strange admitting to his curiosity. Admitting that he wants to know if there is a better place out there. A place where he could be who he was and not just the merman without colours.

What followed, was an hour full of wonders. A whole hour he just listened to the stories Taemin told, completely diving into what felt like a dream world. Stories that sounded like fantasies, fantasies he couldn’t prove, fantasies he just had to trust Taemin’s words, that they were in fact reality.

He was told about a folk in the south, where the water was so dark that colours couldn’t be seen anymore. Taemin recollected memories about a small group of mermen traveling the ocean wherever the current took them, none of them interested in colours, living their lives day by day without ever looking back. Then, the black-haired merman described a folk in the north-east where they would use fabrics to add different colours to their bodies until you couldn’t distinguish between fabric and tails, everyone shimmering in the colours they desired.

It sounded heavenly.

“That sounds amazing.” Kibum said, turning around in the water, imagining fabrics of different colours floating around his body with his movements. Gracefully, he moved his white, almost sheer, tail in circles, enjoying his mind getting dizzy. He was turning in the middle of his cave, following the water’s movements as he pictured himself with countless strings and fabrics, finally shimmering in the colours he had wished for all his life. Everything was amazing until he was reminded that he wasn’t alone.

“You are beautiful.”

Kibum’s eyes doubled in size at the younger’s sudden voice and he immediately stopped in his movements, turning a little more until the wild water around him calmed as well.

“You are gorgeous Kibum.” The black-haired merman repeated as he swam closer.

“What are you doing?” the white merman said, trying to get away but Taemin was faster. Strong arms wrapped themselves around Kibum’s thin waist, pulling him closer until their centres were pressed together, a black tail moving rapidly to keep them in place.

“OH” Kibum hissed when their bodies met. It was the first time he had ever physically touched another merman and as if he had touched a poisonous fish, the place where his hip came in contact with Taemin’s, his scales were tingling. It was exactly like he had been taught: NEVER touch another merman. It hurts.

Just that it didn’t. The pain he was prepared for, never came. Instead, the tingling spread throughout his whole body, accompanied by a comfortable feeling of connection as he felt his heartbeat rising.

“Oh?” He said once more, this time in questioning surprise.

“How do you feel?” Taemin asked, his face coming closer and closer.

Kibum was speechless and could feel his tail moving erratically as if this was what he was meant to do. If this was so wrong, why did it feel so right? As if it was the most natural thing to do?

“Your tail knows better than you do.” The black-haired merman smirked and then raised his hand to Kibum’s neck. “Follow my lead.”

Taemin’s fingers glided along Kibum’s pale skin, a trail of tingling sensations following the younger’s touch, the other frozen in his spot because he didn’t know how to react. The black-haired merman felt the tension in the pale body he was touching and started drawing circles along Kibum’s arms and side while he mumbled encouraging words.

“So beautiful. I can’t believe I am the first to ever touch you.”

“Hmmmm” Kibum answered, unable to form sentences as he was overwhelmed with the new sensations that enclosed his whole being. It didn’t just affect him physically but also mentally and emotionally as he felt his insides pulse with Taemin’s touches.

It felt as if the water around them was sizzling, Taemin’s touches getting bolder by the passing minute. The water around them was moving with the flaps of their tails and side fins, slowly creating a small stream that turned in circles, making their bodies move with it. It was like dancing, just that this time, Kibum wasn’t alone.

Then, Taemin did something the older could not have foreseen. Taemin placed his mouth on his neck and shortly, his tongue was poking out to rub against the older’s soft skin and the latter couldn’t comprehend the electricity that shot through his body as he was involved in such sinful actions. 

“How does that feel?” Taemin whispered against his ear and Kibum had no idea how to answer. His whole body was tingling, and he still didn’t know if it felt good or if he was afraid of it.

“I don’t know” He answered truthfully, and the younger merman captured his gaze before he answered, his hands now gently holding Kibum’s, no pressure applied at all.

“Is it too much? Should I stop?”

“No. Don’t stop.” Kibum said, surprising himself. He had spoken without thinking but he was sure that it was the right answer, for him and for Taemin, because the moment the black-haired merman smiled, his heart sped up once more and he pressed his body towards the younger’s.

“It feels good doesn’t it?” he mumbled as his fingers moved up along Kibum’s arms, caressing every single inch of his skin. “Has anyone ever told you how beautiful your skin is? So soft.”

Instead of answering, Kibum blushed - invisible to Taemin who had lowered his mouth to his right arm, licking up and down, a tingling sensation following the tongue that just wouldn’t stop traveling his skin.

“Stay still” Taemin said, full lips still touching his arm. Kibum didn’t know what he stayed still for until he the younger’s mouth open, tongue pushing out before he closed it again, a fold of his skin being sucked inside, which was then caught in between Taemin’s teeth. Instead of letting go, the latter gently pulled on it, making the white merman shiver at the new sensation.

To shortly check on Kibum’s expression, Taemin lifted his head, and what he saw was astonishing: Kibum had his eyes closed, his neck bent back while white hair was playing around his face following the movement of the waves. It was an expression of pleasure and Taemin took it as an invitation to get back to what he had been doing before, nibbling on the older’s pale skin on every inch of his arms, sometimes even sucking on it slightly.

It shouldn’t have been strong enough to leave bruises, but Kibum’s skin was so thin that only minutes later he was covered in marks; marks he wouldn’t be able to cover-up. It might have been the possessive side of him sipping through, but in any way, he loved to see imprints of his teeth all over the pale merman’s arms. Taemin hadn’t wanted to get Kibum in trouble. In fact, it was the last thing he desired. Ever since he first saw the astonishing white merman on the market, he knew that he would protect him with all he had. He couldn’t let him go. But this would definitely be anything but beneficial for the white-tailed merman.

Meeting Kibum made him wonder if the stories about a bond that one of his comrades had always talked about, weren’t actually stories. Now as he held him in his arms, this feeling intensified, and he was sure that Kibum felt it too. From all the mermen he had been intimate with, no one had made him feel this possessive, or this euphoric in the moment.

Then again, he vaguely remembered said comrade speaking about the bond as if it was something from the ancient times, back when the merfolk still reproduced themselves. But right now, it seemed as if time was warping around them, the water pulsing with something Taemin couldn’t identify.

As if he was controlled by his body, rather than the other way around, Taemin’s tail wrapped itself around Kibum’s, the latter’s instantly reacting to the sudden contact of their most sacred body part.

“AHH” Kibum moaned softly, still trying to hide any sort of reaction to Taemin’s touch. But the latter knew exactly how good it felt to intertwine one’s tail with another merman’s, not only because he had done it before but mostly because he had his tail wrapped around Kibum’s right this instant, feeling the muscles move within it.

There was nothing that could compare to the intimacy of connecting two tails, the other merman’s fin ghosting over his scales.

Normally, Taemin wouldn’t watch tails while he was being intimate with someone, he had other things to prioritize, but this time, he couldn’t help but wonder how it would look; His tail - pitch black, disfigured by several scars, next to Kibum’s flawless, almost sheer, white tail.

And he wasn’t disappointed. The very moment he set his eyes on their tails rubbing along each other, he slipped his first moan. The image of their side fins trying to keep them stable in the water while their tails were moving along each other, combined with the incredible contrast of their colour made his heart speed- and his body heat- up.

“I have never seen anyone more beautiful. White like the moon.” He uttered in a moment of euphoria and Kibum’s tail jerked in excitement. Out of the many things he had been called, he could barely remember anything positive said about his colour – or lack there off. 

“Have you ever seen the moon?” Taemin asked, his tail fin flapping hard to move them around while he closely held onto Kibum’s gorgeous wide hips.

“No…”

“One day, I will show you the moon Kibum.”

With these words, Taemin let himself sink a few inches until he was facing the pale merman’s chest, immediately attaching his mouth to it with a moan escaping his throat as soon as his lips touched the other’s skin. Gently he started nibbling on his nipples, sometimes flicking the soft buds with his tongue while he listened to the most beautiful sounds he had ever heard in his life. Kibum’s moans, that came from deep inside his chest, filled his body with excitement. Feeling the vibrations of those sounds on the older’s rib cage was breath-taking.

“I don’t think I will ever get enough of you.” Taemin moaned as he pulled away from the left nipple, immediately attaching his mouth to the other one, sucking on it gently. Whenever he pulled on it, he could feel Kibum’s tail jerk, the water below them following the rapid movement of the white fin. It was wonderful.

After a while he moved down a little further, drawing invisible lines onto the gorgeous body that was all his to explore. His licks got bolder and he soon found himself moving up until he was catching a little bit of skin on the side of Kibum’s chest between his teeth.

The desire to kiss him got stronger by the minute and Taemin raised himself back to be on Kibum’s level with one simple flap of his tail, finally facing the beautiful white merman again.

“Kibum? Are you alright?” He said when he saw the euphoric expression on the latter’s face – he almost looked completely out of it.

“mhhh. It’s amazing.” Kibum answered softly, his words clearly carrying pleasure.

“Let me show you something.” Taemin said and then turned Kibum around, the older now facing away from him. Protectively, he wrapped his tail around Kibum’s as he held the white-haired merman gently by his wide hip. It made the movements of their tails still, only the small side fins on their hips doing the necessary work – moving with the water to keep them upright.

The lack of movements in their tails put the attention to their upper bodies, Kibum arching his back in reflex when Taemin carefully used his free hand to pull his face towards his own, turning Kibum’s head until their lips were mere inches apart.

With his index finger, Taemin then applied a little pressure on the soft lower lip, preparing the unknowing merman for what was to come. The latter’s hands were tensed up, his whole body trying to handle all these new sensations, especially the younger’s left hand, grazing over his hip. It was so wide that Taemin momentarily forgot his desire to kiss him, instead exploring the pale merman’s middle with curious fingers.

“Your hip is to die for, how can it be so wide?” Taemin moaned as his hand was rubbing along the older’s hips, right where his skin connected to the tail, soft skin changing to smooth scales which were likely as bright. “So gorgeous. Your scales are so smooth.” He kept repeating until he was interrupted by Kibum’s voice

“Taemin please-” the latter whispered, voice hoarse from the tension in his vocal chords. Experiencing touch would have been overwhelming enough, but the way Taemin’s gentle hands were now rubbing places he had barely given any significance ever since he had been born, made his mind travel to places far beyond this reef and his body pulse with an unfamiliar energy.

What exactly made him close the distance between his lips and Taemin’s, he didn’t know, but the moment they were finally pressed together, his whole body tensed up and he knew that without Taemin’s tail holding him up, he would have lost control of his floating position. It took a moment for the black-tailed merman to regain control of it, his tail unwrapping from Kibum’s for a few seconds to bring them down to the ocean floor. He gently placed the white-haired merman into the sand by pushing him down with both hands, making sure there were no rocks below him with a short glance.

“You know how to kiss?” Taemin asked while he lowered himself slowly, black hair playing around his face while he smiled softly. 

“Kiss?” Kibum asked, looking up at the other with hooded eyes.

“Yes, what you just did. You kissed me.” The disbelief in the dark-haired merman’s voice was obvious and Kibum blushed once more. “How do you feel?”

“Good.” The older said, bringing his hand up to Taemin’s face, cupping the latter’s cheek carefully as if he would break at his touch. “So good.”

Taemin’s heart jumped a beat. He hadn’t expected Kibum to initiate any kind of physical contact – at least not so soon. Without thinking, he brought his hand up to the one that was holding onto his cheek, placing it on it to reassure Kibum that his touch was welcome.

For a few seconds they just looked at each other, neither of them daring to say a word in fear of breaking such a precious moment.

“I can make you feel even better if you let me.”

“mmmmh” Kibum moaned at these words, all rationality had already left him the moment he had first been touched by the black-tailed merman he felt so strangely connected to. At this point he wanted nothing more than to feel whatever the other wanted him to feel. Experience what Taemin wanted to show him.

The place Taemin touched next confused him. The fins that grew out of his shoulders had always been the one place he would protect with all his might. The pain he felt when one of them once got caught in a dead coral was still engraved into his mind and it was common knowledge that the shoulder fins were a merman’s most sensitive body part. Therefore, it was like an unwritten rule to not have them come in contact with anything but water.

That was, until Taemin’s hands were gently caressing each one of them, touching the thin membrane ever so slightly but it was enough to make Kibum’s whole body jerk in pleasure. Pleasure that stopped abruptly, the black-haired merman removing his fingers from the moving fins, careful not to hurt them.

“Am I hurting you?” He asked, worry in his words.

Kibum shook his head, stirring up sand which immediately spread around him and Taemin lowered his hand again. The side fin jerked up towards his touch, desperate to feel the sensations of fingers brushing along it again.

“Have you ever looked at them?” Taemin asked, completely entranced by the almost sheer membrane that moved ever so slightly in his palm. “They are almost transparent. Gosh Kibum you are so beautiful.”

Kibum felt as if he was floating in the open ocean despite laying on the ocean floor, the words filling his heart to a point where he was afraid it would burst.

After a while, the black-haired merman’s hands stilled and Kibum opened his eyes, body still pulsing with the most amazing feeling he has ever felt in his life.

Taemin let his body calm down while the latter’s hands caressed the sides of his torso, making sure that the older was comfortable before he finally spoke up.

“I think we should stop here.” Taemin said, removing his body from Kibum’s, reaching for the others hand to pull him back up.

“Why?” The white-haired merman said.

“I don’t want to rush this.” Said, his heart pulsing so hard that he could feel it in his temples. He knew that he was going too fast. After all, Kibum had never experienced anything like this before.

“I am sorry. I am used to doing this, but you aren’t. I am afraid of pressuring you into something you don’t want.” He explained looking at the pale merman with soft eyes. “I hope you know that I didn’t stop because I didn’t like it.”

“You don’t need to explain yourself.” Kibum said, calming the struggling merman who scratched his neck. “I’ll be fine.” He then added ant Taemin visibly relaxed.

“So, what now?” Taemin said, confusing the older who thought it was obvious. Taemin on the other hand knew that going back to the colony, looking like this, was probably the worst possible thing to do and added: “I don’t think we can go back to the colony.”

“Why wouldn’t we?”

Instead of answering, Taemin took a hold of Kibum’s hand, feeling the short impulse of tensing muscles the very moment their bodies met again. He gently pulled the other’s arm into Kibum’s field of vision, the marks that covered them answering all the latter’s questions.

“Oh.” The latter exclaimed in surprise but didn’t say anything further.

“Yeah, that’s why it is probably better to stay here.” Taemin said and Kibum agreed.

They ended up staying for five days until most of the marks had faded and they slowly travelled back to the colony. With every flap of their fins it was getting harder to swim, not because of exhaustion but because neither of them wanted to return.

Taemin didn’t want to bring Kibum back into his open enclosure. There were so many places he wanted to show him, but he knew that the latter wasn’t yet ready to leave. It was still his home, the place he grew up in, the place where he was so close to finishing his training to finally being a full functioning part of the colony. Leaving behind what he had worked for all his life wouldn’t be so easy.

There was one thing Taemin was sure of: He wouldn’t leave him. He would stay by his side and one day, he would show him the moon.

* * *

[ MASTERLIST ](https://www.asianfanfics.com/story/view/1431224/)

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! if you want to leave a comment that would be HIGHLY appreciated <3<3<3


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